Sox talking with David Ortiz about new deal

Shortly before he met the media yesterday at Fenway Park, new Red Sox manager John Farrell spent some time with David Ortiz.

Odds are, they will be seeing more of each other.

Progress is being made to ensure that Ortiz avoids free agency and re-signs with the Red Sox, likely on a two-year contract, according to a major league source. General manager Ben Cherington spoke Monday with the slugger’s agent, Fernando Cuza, and the two likely will talk before the end of the week.

“As I’ve said, we want to have David back,” Cherington said yesterday. “We’ve had good, amicable dialogue since the end of the season. Our hope is to get something done.”

Under terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams have only five days after the end of the World Series to make a qualifying offer to their free agents. That offer to Ortiz figures to be about $13.3 million, an average of the top 125 salaries from this past season.

Last year, under the old rules, Ortiz terminated his free agency by accepting salary arbitration and signed a one-year, $14.575 million deal. Accepting the qualifying offer now would represent a pay cut and leave him with another one-year contract. Ortiz has been seeking a multiyear deal.

There appears to be motivation for both sides to make a deal. Ortiz is expected to make a complete recovery after missing the final 21â„2 months of the season with his right Achilles injury. At 36, he led the Sox with a .318 average and 1.026 OPS, ranked second in home runs (23) and tied for fourth in RBI (60).

It’s little wonder Farrell hopes to write Ortiz’ name in his Opening Day lineup, although their meeting yesterday was a coincidence.

“I think David was in here working out,” Cherington said with a slight smile. “Out of the goodness of our hearts, we kept the door open for David to use our facility here as long as he is in Boston.”

Hurry it up

Even though it led to criticism in Toronto, Farrell plans to bring the same “up-tempo” style of play to the Red Sox.

Farrell wants his players to be daring, taking extra bases whenever possible. With the Blue Jays, that often manifested itself in recklessness. Young players were prone to poor decision-making.

“Some of that was overboard and some of that we ran into some outs,” Farrell said. “Creating that environment and that approach and then putting young players into it, there probably were opportunities where I should have shut them down as far as the X’s and O’s of the game.” .â€‰.â€‰.

Farrell has already been in touch with several players, speaking by phone or swapping text messages with pitchers Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard, among others.

Who’s at short?

Mike Aviles’ departure leaves light-hitting Jose Iglesias as the top incumbent shortstop. But he will have to earn the position.

“We believe Jose is ready to be a major league shortstop, but we’re not ready to commit to that,” Cherington said. “We’ll look for ways to improve the team, and shortstop could be one of those areas. We’ll see what opportunities exist. He can help a major league team, particularly if the rest of the roster is set up right.”

In September, Iglesias received an extended audition that revealed little that wasn’t already known, chiefly that he’s a dazzling defensive player with questionable skills at the plate. In 77 plate appearances, Iglesias batted .118 (8-for-68) with a .200 on-base percentage and 16 strikeouts.